1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pallet shuttle for loading and unloading pallets from the table or bed of a machine tool, and more particularly to such a shuttle which is adapted for cooperation with a plurality of pallet storage positions located in a circular arrangement.
2. The Prior Art
Efforts to achieve maximum efficiency in the use of machine tools such as machine centers and the like, have resulted in the development of a variety of pallet shuttle mechanisms, in which pallet storage positions are located in a variety of positions. In all of these arrangements, some mechanism is provided for shifting a pallet from a storage position to a working position on the table of the machine tool, and for later returning the pallet to an assigned storage position. Most of the attempts in the prior art to develop such systems involve units of relatively great complexity, and the necessity for sequencing various actions of the apparatus so that the various steps necessary to be performed during the loading or unloading operation occur in the proper sequence.
It is desirable to provide a power handling mechanism which is relatively simple, and economically manufactured, and which readily performs a number of functions in sequence, so that they may not be accidentally performed in the wrong sequence.